Chapter 42: Of mouth and gates
Their journey after defeating the darker Maulgig had been mostly uneventful, aside from the increasing number of monsters. Thankfully, they were low-level threats, and Taria used them to push herself to the peak of stage two.
The day before had been different.
The closer they drew to the forbidden zone, the stranger things became. The monsters they encountered were varied and in greater numbers, but rather than heading to the forbidden zone, they wandered aimlessly, confused, almost as if they had been severed from reality.
The group avoided conflict and skirted around the monsters.
Now, just past midday, they stood before the forbidden zone.
It had spawned inside an abandoned temple of gray stone. A lone tower jutted into the sky, its top crumbling and jagged. Where the door should have been, there was only a black, swirling void.
It twisted and hummed with strange energy, utterly lightless. Nothing could be seen beyond the dark spiral that hung there.
The first thing that seized Kaedros’ attention was the power radiating from the portal. It reminded him of the moment he’d been chosen at the bounty hunter’s Association—the pressure of something vast, unknowable.
"So that’s the portal," Kaedros said flatly. He pressed his awareness against it, and recoiled fast.
Something akin to gnashing teeth bit back at him. He grunted and narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t sense anything inside at all. It was like trying to perceive space itself.
"You okay?" Taria asked, seeing the moment his focus broke.
"Yes." Kaedros managed a faint smile.